


Deep Recon

by Superstition_hockey



Series: Whatever You Love Best [3]
Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:21:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24117175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Superstition_hockey/pseuds/Superstition_hockey
Summary: West wouldn't exactly call the guy a regular. He comes infrequently. No pattern. Sometimes for days in a row, then nothing for weeks or months. He never orders the same thing.
Relationships: Implied Bells/Hayes
Series: Whatever You Love Best [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1980923
Comments: 192
Kudos: 219





	1. Chapter 1

West writes "Haigyzes" neatly on the side of the tall oat milk lavender and honey latte. 

West wouldn't exactly call the guy a regular. He comes infrequently. No pattern. Sometimes for days in a row, then nothing for weeks or months. He never orders the same thing. Sometimes he's in a suit. Sometimes he's in jeans. One time, memorably, he was in some hideous green and khaki uniform that made him look like some kind of fucked up special forces Park Ranger. Sometimes he's in a Marine uniform -- the fancy kind, like in the commercials. With the blue and the stripes and the gleaming buttons and the white hat. One time he even had the white gloves and the _sword_. 

Sometimes he gets one drink. Sometimes he orders a tall flat white for someone else too. 

He's always… chatty. 

West had thought he was flirting, and like, they didn't _mind_ a little good natured flirting from someone, but Hayes is really really really not their type. 

West had said as much. Hayes had said, "Maybe I just really want to know about how to make cappuccinos."

It's a running joke with them now. West mispells Hayes as many ways as possible and tells him how they make his drink and sometimes complains about their day, if Hayes caught them during a lull, while Hayes listens intently like he really does want to know all about how fucking annoying it is that Jenny never replaces syrup bottles that run low.

Hayes jokes that his in-laws think he's a Starbucks barista. 

Today Hayes is in the blue uniform. No sword. West makes him the oat milk lavender and honey latte and humors him by telling him what goes in it, in what ratios. Hayes's phone buzzes just as he's taking his first sip. West watches him check his message. 

"West," Hayes says seriously. 

"What's up, dude?"

"Can I borrow an apron?"

"What?"

"It’s an emergency."

West looks around. "An apron emergency?"

"West," Hayes says, eyes intent and focused, "I need you to let me get behind this counter and put on an apron. Within the next 45 seconds. Do you copy, West?"

West feels absurdly like a side character in an action movie who just found out they have to… diffuse a bomb, or land a plane or use a defibrillator on someone. 

"Okaaaaayyyyyyy," West answers, and Hayes just… hops over the counter like he's jumping a fence, snags a green apron from the hook by the door to the backroom, and turns towards the counter. 

West watches, bewildered, as the front door swings open seconds later, and a group enters. They’re led by a woman, mid 20s, in a suit. West sees her every once in a while. They suspect she normally goes somewhere not a Starbucks, but when she does come she normally orders…. Oh. She normally orders a tall flat white. She's accompanied by two older men, who look like they're in their 50s. 

"Hey, babe," Hayes says from where he's standing in front of the register. "Coming to see me at work? You want your usual?"

She nods, and smiles, and orders a croissant too. West watches, still completely bewildered, as Hayes fishes a croissant out of the pastry case with tongs, plops it on a plate. 

The dark-haired man grins, watching Hayes work. "Hayes. Is that a new uniform Starbucks is trying out?"

"No, sir," Hayes answers and West watches as Hayes carefully writes "Bells" and “FW” on a tall cup with the sharpie from his apron pocket in neat precise letters, "this is a cosplay costume of mine, we're all dressed up today at work. London fog, right, half syrup?"

The red-headed man…. actually, West is pretty sure they recognize the red-headed man, and suddenly, he's looking right at West. 

"Your colleague isn't dressed up." 

Hayes turns and glances at them, looks back at the man West is 99% sure is their favorite sci-fi author of all time, and says, "What do you mean, of course they are?"

West is wearing the jeans they don’t mind getting bleach on, and a black t-shirt. 

West looks at Hayes, and back at Hayes's inlaws and says with a completely straight face, "I'm dressed up as J. Tuesday Ghost from _Terraforming Space_."

The dark-haired guy lets out a laugh, deep from his belly, all white teeth and salt and pepper beard. Oliver fucking Jackson _winks_ at him, and then orders a grande PSL.

West blushes, and starts pulling espresso shots.


	2. Tall Blond Roast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Captain Haywood, would you like to explain to me the series of events that led to you being on the front page of reddit this morning?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look. This is full of military technical inaccuracies but I have two options for fact checking these things. 1) google. And when I did that I kept getting increasingly more specific news notifications from the Marine Corps news thing and frankly, I just don't want to know any of those things ever. and 2) Asking military dudes. And let me tell you, asking increasingly more specific questions about increasingly more specific and highly unlikely but technically possible scenarios in the Marine Corps and special forces community, then when they ask WHY you want to know the information having to be like 'OH NO REASON JUST CURIOUS' makes me sound like either someone who has some sort of military fact kink like those people who are like 'I love your drawings have you ever thought about drawing this character wearing red heels???????' or like a government spy. So anyway, here is a thing.

“Captain Haywood, would you like to explain to me the series of events that led to you being on the front page of reddit this morning?”

The little shit looks carefully at the screenshot of a reddit post Colonel Chen had put on the screen. The top comment, with 6k upvotes reads "well he can put some extra whip on my frapp any day." 

"Sir." Haywood begins with a nod, "at approximately 1500 hours, on Friday, December 11th, I met with Andrew Loricco, the US delegate to the UN, on the orders of Major Greene to brief him on the situation in [redacted] so he can prepare his report for the UN. I met him at the United Nations building in Manhattan since I had already requested 72 hours leave to visit my spouse in New York, scheduled to begin at 1700 hours that day. I wore Dress Uniform B, as is appropriate to meet with a US delegate. I stopped for a coffee on my way out of the meeting."

He stops there, no apparent need to explain further. 

“I believe Captain, that Major Esch was referring less to your choice of uniform, and instead asking why you chose to wear it while, apparently, working at a Starbucks.” 

“I don’t work at a Starbucks, sir.” Captain Haywood answers, calmly. “I am an officer in the United States Marine Corps.” 

“I know you don’t work at a fucking Starbucks, Captain.” Colonel Chen growled, “I want to know why in the Sam Hill you were standing behind the counter with a little green apron on, acting like you do. And why the fuck it wound up on the internet.” 

“I appear to have been photographed while in the process of performing my duties, sir.” 

“Please explain,” Major Esch said, slowly, carefully, “exactly what duties, if you were on leave, and are not employed by Starbucks, you were completing.” 

Captain Haywood smiles. “The marital duty of making my wife a cup of coffee, sir.” 

Colonel Chen slowly rests his face in his palm. Major Esch growls. 

“There is probably something in the Starbucks regulations that keeps customers from being in employee only areas.” Major Esch snaps. 

“As previously agreed, Major, I am not a Starbucks employee, and therefore under no obligation to obey any of their employee conduct regulations.” 

Major Esch snorts. “Now you’re practicing labor law, too, Haywood?”

“No sir,” Haywood answers blandly, “I am content to leave that practice to my wife.” 

Greene covers his laugh with a cough. Esch throws his hands in the hair and stomps out. The Colonel sighs, closing his eyes. “I can only assume you were sent by the Universe to teach me patience, Haywood,” he says. 

Haywood smiles, just a little. “I am happy to be of service in your journey of personal growth, Colonel.” 

Chen sighs again, this time more wearily. “Are you trying to make it impossible for me to promote you?”

For the first time since entering Haywood actually looks _serious_.”You know my feelings on that, Colonel. I don’t want to leave my marines, or the field. Splitting my time here in Quantico from Oceanside is already a compromise.”

“You can’t put it off forever, Haywood.”

“I know, sir. Is there anything else, sir?”

“You’re not excused. Greene and I still need to go over your meeting.”

Haywood sits back in his chair. “Alright then, sir. Let me get my tablet out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't post to any other site. I'm on Tumblr at superstitionhockey. Many thanks to Dangercupcake for fixing my punctuation and encouraging me to post.

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to Dangercupcake for fixing commas and being awesome.


End file.
